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February 15, 2012

[Nepalese fashion
designer Prabal Gurung presented his fall 2012 collection in a show called
“Uncursed” on Saturday at the IAC building in Chelsea as part of Mercedes-Benz
Fashion Week. The 42 looks were a play on heaven and hell with dark blue and
deep black pieces starting the lineup and ones in ethereal gold and white
closing it. But while shiny fabrics and sequins throughout epitomized the
glamor that Mr. Gurung has become known for, the overall theme wasn’t as
feminine as his past collections.]

ByShivani Vora

Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Models showcased the Prabal Gurung fall and winter

2012 collection, during the New York Fashion Week on

Saturday.

Nepalese fashion
designer Prabal Gurung presented his fall 2012 collection in a show called
“Uncursed” on Saturday at the IAC building in Chelsea as part of Mercedes-Benz
Fashion Week. The 42 looks were a play on heaven and hell with dark blue and
deep black pieces starting the lineup and ones in ethereal gold and white
closing it. But while shiny fabrics and sequins throughout epitomized the
glamor that Mr. Gurung has become known for, the overall theme wasn’t as
feminine as his past collections.

When Mr. Gurung
debuted his first collection three years ago in New York City’s Bryant Park,
the fashion elite were taken by his designs, and his accolades have been
numerous since: he was selected as the runner-up for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion
Fund in 2010 and won the Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award that same year which
gives grants to promising new designers. He also counts a diverse range of
high-profile women as his regular clientele including Michelle Obama and Demi
Moore.

Mr. Gurung, who
declined to give his age, finished school in New Delhi and started in the
fashion world by apprenticing with Indian designer Manish Arora. He eventually
attended Parsons School of Design in Manhattan and worked for Cynthia Rowley
and Bill Blass before starting his own line.

Amid the pre-show
frenzy where makeup artists and stylists put the final touches on the models,
photographers rushed to get last shots of the designs while they were still on
racks and more than a dozen production assistants exchanged updates through
their headsets. Mr. Gurung, who wore a simple black T-shirt and blue jeans,
took a few minutes to chat with India Ink.

Q.

What was your
inspiration for this collection?

A.

I was in pursuit of
inventing something that was spiritual and exciting which made me look within.
I realized we’re dealing with a duality, the dark side and the light. All of us
have it. You have it, I have it. We all have that demons and angels aspect, and
the collection is about learning to be comfortable with it. I opened the door
to the dark side just a little bit, and there are a lot of things that happened
when it came to designing. Besides that, I was inspired by the painting the
“The Adoration of [the Mystic] Lamb” and the cow skull by Georgia O’Keefe. All
of them have a spiritual connotation.

When I think about
Manish, I think about his courage. The courage to step out of boundaries and
challenge them, and that is the one thing I have really taken with me as a
designer.

Q.

What is your hope for
the future of your brand?

A.

The goal is to create
a lifestyle brand that is based on integrity and timeless appeal.

Q.

What’s your personal
style?

A.

I don’t think about it
all. I get busy designing clothes for women and don’t pay much attention to
what I wear.

Q.

What’s your connection
to India and Nepal today?

A.

My family is there. My
brother is in India, and my sister and mom are in Nepal. I was just on Skype with
them. I go back once a year in March so my trip is coming up. In fact, I am
traveling there this time with my group of friends from the city.